Notre Dame Football: 3 reasons Ian Book should be a Heisman contender
By Andrew Hall
Notre Dame Football: 3 reasons Ian Book should be a Heisman contender
His Heisman moments
Heisman moments used to serve as a critical part of a player’s résumé. During the 2012 ABC broadcast of Notre Dame-Oklahoma, play-by-play broadcaster Brent Musburger exclaimed, “That might be a Heisman moment for Te’o,” when the Irish linebacker intercepted a deflected football. As the Heisman becomes more of a statistical award, these moments matter less.
However, they could differentiate Book from his competitors.
Against Clemson, with the game on the line, Book took to the field trailing 30-23 with 1:41 left in the contest. After a few plays, Notre Dame still needed 57 yards to tie the game with 1:00 remaining. This was the moment of Book’s first Heisman moment.
As he dodged a Clemson rusher, Book did what everything thought was impossible: he completed a pass down field. After 43 yards of catch and run, Notre Dame was at the Clemson 4-yard line. Two plays later, he found Davis again for another score.
Book also unveiled the backhanded flip during the 2020, most notably during the North Carolina game. With the rush about to engulf him, Book flung an option-like forward pitch to freshman tight end Michael Mayer.
He would not have been able to flip his hips and make the throw without being sacked. This type of improvisation makes him one of the best broken play quarterbacks in college football.